Autonvuokraus Punta Arenas

Plussat: All worked fine, easy pickup and return, got upgraded for free! No complaints.

Plussat: Very helpful staff. Very slow computers on both pickup and drop off. But a good experience and vehicle.

Pleasant experience

Plussat: After reading several reviews, I was worried about 3 things: 1. Customer service 2. Hidden costs and insurance 3. the condition of the car None of the above was a problem. I booked a month before the trip through kayak and received a confirmation email from both kayak and Hertz. A few days before arrival, I received another email from Hertz in Punta Arenas confirming the pick up time. We arrived at the appointed hour and picked up our car. A few reviewers wrote that no one was in the office. This was not an issue for us on December 18 and December 26. The insurance turned out to be optional. Renters are actually not required to purchase additional insurance, but if they choose not to do so, they are liable for all damages. If you are renting a car to visit the Torres del Paine park, know that all of the roads are packed dirt with medium-sized gravel, and sometimes large rocks. There is no way to avoid dents or scratches, at the very least. Even the most careful, slow driver can‘t control the tourist vans that pass everyone like they’re fleeing an apocalypse. Cracked windshields, flat tires, and even broken axles / damaged suspension are all very common side effects of the toll those rough roads take on the cars. Knowing this, I chose to purchase the additional insurance, which was $15 per day. That was much less than I thought it would be. There were no other hidden costs. In the end, we wound up paying about $63 a day, which I thought was reasonable for a tourist destination. The gas mileage was more than sufficient. There are NO gas stations inside the park, nor within 1.5hrs drive of the park entrances. We easily explored the whole park and still had almost ½ a tank left after we returned to Puerto Natales. I knew this ahead of time and planned accordingly, but I liked that the agent made a point of explaining this important information. As far as the condition of the car, a few dents and scrapes were noted when we picked up the car, and the suspension was a little loose, but other than that, it was in good condition and performed well. The car had not been washed or cleaned well inside. It was still dusty when we picked it up, but since everything was covered in dust by the time we were driving in the park, it really didn’t matter. There was some previous damage to a wheel well that we didn't notice until after we took possession of the car. In addition, the trunk did not always close on the first, second, or even third try. We were not charged for these issues, nor for the giant scratch that DID happen while we had the car. I was very pleased with my rental experience at Hertz in Punta Arenas and would recommend them to other travelers.

Miinukset: At first, we were offered a pick up truck with the assurance that it had good gas mileage, but I was nervous about having enough gas to spend 2 days inside the Torres del Paine park, so I stood firm on the original reservation, which was for a midsize car. We received a Toyota Yaris, and it was perfect. Be aware that most cars here are standard transmissions. Very few automatics exist here, and they are only the bigger vans and SUVs. Check out seemed a little complicated because I didn’t understand their charging process. I’m not entirely fluent in Spanish, so it took a few questions to understand that they never actually charged me at the time that I picked up the car. Because I had been handed a receipt for the total amount during pick up, I thought they’d already charged me. They put a $2,000 deposit on my card while the car was in my possession (they told me this at check out), and then upon return, they charge the deposit and subtract the difference between the rental price and the deposit. It all seemed very complicated and fishy, so I kept asking a lot of questions. In the end, I was convinced it was on the up and up, and after checking my bank account, I can confirm that the rental price plus insurance (which was on the initial receipt I received) is exactly what I was charged on my card.